By 8:30 a.m., more than 300 protesters had assembled at the campus' entrances and blocked incoming traffic. They only allowed emergency vehicles to enter campus without harassment.

One student was not thrilled about demonstrators keeping him from getting to class, and he threw a punch at one protester, witnesses said.

Four others were hit by a red Ford Mustang that kept rolling through the crowd even after protesters swarmed the car.

Student Abby Edwards was hit by the Mustang and said she would have been completely run over if fellow protesters had not pulled her to safety.

Thursday's protest was one of many that erupted on 30 college campuses across the country for a "National Day of Action for Education."

College campus rallies in California are calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to reject any budget deal that cuts funding for higher education, imposes tuition hikes and fails to restore funding for public higher education.

Traffic became snarled on streets near campus, including High Street, Bay Street Cardiff Street, Meder Street, Western Drive, and some side streets. Drivers should expect major delays in the area, the Santa Cruz Police Department said.

"We respect that students, instructors, and staff know more about the impact of budget cuts than anyone else, as they have borne the impact of fee hikes, course reductions, and layoffs," UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal said. "We wholeheartedly support advocacy in support of education."

"However, we take issue with a protest that simultaneously denies students access to those classes for which they have paid," Blumenthal said.Many UC Santa Cruz professors held their classes off-campus Thursday to dodge potential clashes.

The largest higher education rally in California is slated for Monday, when students plan to march in Sacramento for "Occupy the Capitol."